DinnerCountSlow-Cooker Pulled Pork BBQ
You spend a few minutes in the morning, and dinner is ready that evening. A pork shoulder goes into the slow cooker on a bed of sliced onion with a rub of brown sugar and paprika. After eight hours on low, it pulls apart with two forks. Stir in the barbecue sauce, set out the buns and coleslaw mix, and everyone builds their own sandwich.
Ingredients (serves 8)
- Pork shoulder (boneless)4 lb
- BBQ sauce1½ cups
- Yellow onion1 each
- Chicken broth¼ cup
- Brown sugar2 tbsp
- Paprika1 tbsp
- Salt2 tsp
- Garlic powder1 tsp
- Black pepper1 tsp
- Hamburger buns8 buns
- Coleslaw mix3 cups
- Mayonnaise¼ cup
- White vinegar1 tbsp
How Much to Make for 2, 4, 6, or 8
For 2 people, you’ll need 1 lb pork shoulder, 2 hamburger buns, and ¾ cup coleslaw mix.
For 4 people, you’ll need 2 lb pork shoulder, 4 hamburger buns, and 1½ cups coleslaw mix.
For 6 people, you’ll need 3 lb pork shoulder, 6 hamburger buns, and 2¼ cups coleslaw mix.
For 8 people, you’ll need 4 lb pork shoulder, 8 hamburger buns, and 3 cups coleslaw mix.
| Ingredient | For 2 | For 4 | For 6 | For 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pork shoulder (boneless) | 1 lb | 2 lb | 3 lb | 4 lb |
| BBQ sauce | 6 tbsp | ¾ cup | 1¼ cups | 1½ cups |
| Yellow onion | ¼ each | ½ each | ¾ each | 1 each |
| Chicken broth | 1 tbsp | 2 tbsp | 3 tbsp | ¼ cup |
| Brown sugar | 1½ tsp | 1 tbsp | 1½ tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Paprika | ¾ tsp | 1½ tsp | 2¼ tsp | 1 tbsp |
| Salt | ½ tsp | 1 tsp | 1½ tsp | 2 tsp |
| Garlic powder | ¼ tsp | ½ tsp | ¾ tsp | 1 tsp |
| Black pepper | ¼ tsp | ½ tsp | ¾ tsp | 1 tsp |
| Hamburger buns | 2 buns | 4 buns | 6 buns | 8 buns |
| Coleslaw mix | ¾ cup | 1½ cups | 2¼ cups | 3 cups |
| Mayonnaise | 1 tbsp | 2 tbsp | 3 tbsp | ¼ cup |
| White vinegar | ¾ tsp | 1½ tsp | 2¼ tsp | 1 tbsp |
The amounts are rounded to what you can measure at home. Pounds are rounded to the nearest quarter or third, cups to the marks on a measuring cup, and spoons to real measuring spoons. An egg stays whole. Because of the rounding, some amounts are the same at two sizes.
- For 2: This recipe is written for 8 adult-size portions. You are cooking about 2 adult portions, which is roughly 0.3 times the recipe. This cooks as one piece, so buy a smaller cut and do not cook part of a big one. The time depends on the size of the piece, not on the number of portions.
- For 4: This recipe is written for 8 adult-size portions. You are cooking about 4 adult portions, which is roughly 0.5 times the recipe. This is less than the recipe assumes. Use a 3-quart slow cooker and start checking an hour or two early, because a small amount in a big cooker cooks faster and dries out.
In DinnerCount, this recipe is sized to exactly who’s home tonight, whether that is a hungry teenager, a toddler, or a guest.
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Steps
- Thaw the pork completely before you put it in the slow cooker. A slow cooker cannot safely cook meat from frozen.
- Slice the onion and spread it over the bottom of the slow cooker. Mix the paprika, the brown sugar, the garlic powder, the pepper, and most of the salt in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the pork shoulder, and set the pork on top of the onion.
- Pour the broth around the sides of the pork, not over the top, so the rub stays in place. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. The pork is done when it pulls apart easily with a fork and reads about 200°F inside. Pork is safe to eat at 145°F, and it takes the higher temperature to shred. If it does not pull apart easily, cover it and cook for 1 hour more.
- Lift the pork onto a sheet pan. Pour the juices and the onion into a bowl, and spoon off the fat that rises to the top. Shred the pork with two forks and return it to the slow cooker. Stir in the BBQ sauce, the onion, and a few spoonfuls of the juices. Leave it on the WARM setting for 10 minutes. The pork is ready when it is moist and coated with sauce, and you can stir in more of the juices if it looks dry.
- Toss the coleslaw mix with the mayonnaise, the vinegar, and the rest of the salt. Set out the buns and the slaw so everyone can build their own sandwich.
Good to Know
- Contains Eggs, Wheat. This comes from the ingredient names, so it is not a complete list. The ingredient names do not show what is inside a jar, a mix, or a sauce, and formulas change. For an allergy or intolerance, read the package every time, and never decide from this line.
- 🌡 Pork shoulder: cook to 145°F at the thickest part, the USDA minimum for whole cuts of beef, pork, or lamb. This recipe cooks it well past that, to about 200°F, which is what lets it shred. A thermometer is the test, and color is not. Let it rest 3 minutes before serving.
